Alcohol-related brain damage

OBJECTIVE: Long-term alcohol consumption can cause organic damage to the brain, resulting in mental and nervous system abnormalities and intellectual impairment. Huanglian Jiedu decoction (HLJDD) is the classic representative of clearing heat and detoxifying. This study aimed to explore the effects and possible mechanisms of HLJDD on brain injury in chronic alcohol-exposed mice. METHODS: The alcohol-exposed mice were treated with different doses of HLJDD to observe behavioral changes, hippocampal Aβ1-42 deposition, number and ultrastructural changes of neurons in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, and expressions of synaptic proteins...

BACKGROUND: Chronic heavy alcohol use may lead to permanent brain damage, cognitive impairment, and dementia. While the link between alcohol use and crime is strong, virtually no research exists on the criminal behavior of patients with the alcohol-related neurocognitive disorders of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) and alcohol-related dementia (ARD). METHODS: The study population included all persons diagnosed with WKS (n = 1149) or ARD (n = 2432) in Finland in 1998-2015...

SCOPE: 3,5-Dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzyl alcohol (DHMBA) is found in oyster extracts in recent years and is reported to have antioxidant activity. Although it has been reported to be protective in various models of oxidative stress, the therapeutic effect of DHMBA on neurological damage caused by aging remains to be demonstrated. METHODS AND RESULTS: The present study investigates the potential functions of DHMBA in brain of old C57BL/6J mice and aging cell model...

Ethanol is one of the psychoactive substances most used by young individuals, usually in an intermittent and episodic manner, also called binge drinking. In the adolescent period, brain structures undergo neuromaturation, which increases the vulnerability to psychotropic substances. Our previous studies have revealed that ethanol binge drinking during adolescence elicits neurobehavioral alterations associated with brain damage. Thus, we explored the persistence of motor function impairment and cerebellum damage in the context of ethanol withdrawal periods (emerging adulthood and adult life) in adolescent female rats...

BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine use is surging globally. It has been linked to premature stroke, Parkinsonism, and dementia, suggesting that it may accelerate brain aging. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study to determine if structural indices of brain aging were more prevalent prior to old age (26 - 54 years) in individuals with Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD), who were in early abstinence (M ± SD = 22.1 ± 25.6 days) than in healthy control (HC) participants...

PURPOSE: Chronic alcohol use is a major cause of liver damage and death. In the United States, multiple factors have led to low utilization of pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorder (AUD), including lack of provider knowledge and comfort in prescribing medications for AUD. Alcohol consumption has direct effects on the gut microbiota, altering the diversity of bacteria and leading to bacterial overgrowth. Growing evidence suggests that alcohol's effects on the gut microbiome may contribute to increased alcohol consumption and progression of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD)...

BACKGROUND: Clinical and preclinical research indicates that gastric weight loss surgeries, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, can induce alcohol use disorder (AUD). While numerous mechanisms have been proposed for these effects, one relatively unexplored potential mechanism is physical damage to the gastric branch of the vagus nerve, which can occur during bypass surgery. Therefore, we hypothesized that direct damage to the gastric branch of the vagus nerve, without altering other aspects of gastric anatomy, could result in increased alcohol intake...

Appropriate diagnosis, treatment and care contribute to better service engagement, improvements to wellbeing, cost savings and reductions in morbidity and mortality for people with alcohol-related brain damage. In Northeast England, large amounts of alcohol are consumed; this is reflected in the number of alcohol-related deaths in the region. However, the pathway for people with alcohol-related brain damage to receive diagnosis, treatment and care is unknown and could be unwittingly influenced by stigma. Qualitative, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were completed with 25 health and social care professionals from organizations involved with people with alcohol-related brain damage recruited via snowball sampling...

Individuals with alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) represent a population whose healthcare needs often go unmet. This is the result of a lack of not only an awareness surrounding the condition by healthcare professionals, but also healthcare service inclusion and delivery, more broadly. The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the associated lockdowns dramatically affected the accessibility and availability of addiction services globally, while also driving changes in alcohol consumption among the most vulnerable...

Both excessive alcohol consumption and exposure to high levels of arsenic can lead to neurodegeneration, especially in the hippocampus. Co-exposure to arsenic and alcohol can occur because an individual with an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is exposed to arsenic in their drinking water or food or because of arsenic found directly in alcoholic beverages. This study aims to determine if co-exposure to alcohol and arsenic leads to worse outcomes in neurodegeneration and associated mechanisms that could lead to cell death...

BACKGROUND: There is an urgent need to better understand and prevent relapse in major depressive disorder (MDD). We explored the differential impact of various MDD relapse prevention strategies (pharmacological and/or psychological) on affect fluctuations and individual affect networks in a randomised setting, and their predictive value for relapse. METHODS: We did a secondary analysis using experience sampling methodology (ESM) data from individuals with remitted recurrent depression that was collected alongside a randomised controlled trial that ran in the Netherlands, comparing: (I) tapering antidepressants while receiving preventive cognitive therapy (PCT), (II) combining antidepressants with PCT, or (III) continuing antidepressants without PCT, for the prevention of depressive relapse, as well as ESM data from 11 healthy controls...

AIMS: To measure the therapeutic effect of an anti-oxidant, edaravone (EDV), or neurotrophic treatment with nerve growth factor (NGF) as an add-on treatment for alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD). DESIGN: Multi-centre, randomised, single-blinded, comparative clinical trial. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and twenty-two inpatients recruited from seven hospitals in different regions of China, all diagnosed with ARBD and aged 18 to 65 years old; among them, only two were female...

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune condition characterized by recurrent episodes of optic neuritis (ON) and transverse myelitis. This case report aims to highlight the importance of considering atypical presentations of NMOSD when confronted with MRI-detected Wernicke's encephalopathy. The primary target in NMOSD is the aquaporin-4 (AQP4) protein, predominantly located on astrocyte surfaces. Antibodies binding to AQP4 can lead to astrocyte dysfunction and damage, contributing to NMOSD's distinctive pathology...

Chronic alcohol abuse causes brain damage and has been associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. The toxic metabolite of alcohol, acetaldehyde, which is converted to acetate by aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), has been shown to induce excessive mitochondrial fragmentation and dysfunction leading to neurotoxicity. However, it is still unclear how alcohol affects mitochondrial function in ALDH2-deficient cells. The present study investigated the association between abnormal mitochondrial dynamics, mitophagy and cytotoxicity in ALDH2-deficient N2a cells treated with ethanol...

Brain oxidative damage and neurodegeneration by ethanol (ETH) are considered as important factors that triggered by oxidative stress. Recently, the abuse of diazepam (DZM) has increased by alcoholism-addicted patients. The present study evaluated the effects of combination treatment of ETH with DZM on oxidative damage induced in brain mitochondria of the mice. Only ETH (0.3, 0.6, and 2.5 g / kg) and ETH+ DZM (2.5 mg / kg) were administered intraperitoneally (ip) to the mice. Pathological changes and oxidative stress biomarkers including ROS, lipid peroxidation, carbonyl protein, mitochondrial function, and glutathione content were evaluated in brain mitochondria after 42 days...

Liaison psychiatrists have identified that conducting capacity assessments in general hospital patients with alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) can be challenging. This educational article uses the fictitious case of a man with ARBD, alcohol dependence and significant self-neglect, focusing on assessment of his capacity to decide about moving into a care home on discharge. We provide an overview of clinical, legal and ethical literature relevant to decision-making and capacity assessment in individuals with ARBD, with the aim of guiding clinicians approaching complex capacity assessments...

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains a significant public health concern, affecting around 5% of adults worldwide. Novel pathways of damage have been described during the last years, providing insight into the mechanism of injury due to alcohol misuse beyond the direct effect of ethanol byproducts on the liver parenchyma and neurobehavioral mechanisms. Thus, the gut-liver-brain axis and immune system involvement could be therapeutic targets for AUD. In particular, a change in gut microbiota composition and function, especially bile acid homeostasis, and these changes can improve after alcohol cessation...

Alcohol abuse is not only responsible for 5.3% of the total deaths in the world but also has a substantial impact on neurological and memory disabilities throughout the population. One extensively studied brain area involved in cognitive functions is the hippocampus. Evidence in several rodent models has shown that ethanol produces cognitive impairment in hippocampal-dependent tasks and that the damage is varied according to the stage of development at which the rodent was exposed to ethanol and the dose. To the authors' knowledge, there is a biomarker for cognitive processes in the hippocampus that remains relatively understudied in association with memory impairment by alcohol administration...

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection affects the vascular endothelium, which mediates the inflammatory and thrombotic cascade. Moreover, alterations in the endothelium are related to arterial stiffness, which has been established as a marker of cardiovascular disease. The objective of this study is to analyse how the structure, vascular function, vascular ageing and endothelial damage are related to the biopsychological situation in adults diagnosed with persistent COVID and the differences by gender. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study will be carried out in the Primary Care Research Unit of Salamanca (APISAL) and in the BioSepsis laboratory of the University of Salamanca...

Alcohol-related cognitive disorders have long been an area of study, yet they continue to pose challenges in the diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of underlying neuropsychiatric mechanisms. The present article offers a comprehensive review of Wernicke's Encephalopathy and Korsakoff's Syndrome, two conditions often seen on a continuum of alcohol-related brain damage. Drawing on current medical literature, neuroimaging studies, and clinical case reports, we explore the neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological profiles, symptomatology, and differential diagnoses of these disorders...